Remain Nameless
by Shining Reira
Summary: Mia/Diego * Mia Fey finally passes the bar, and goes out to celebrate with her roommate and best friend, Lana Skye. While out, she meets the seductive Diego Armando for the first time.


The lock to the door to her apartment clicked as she turned the key. The seconds seemed to pass like minutes; all she wanted was to get inside. She pushed the door open quickly and was greeted by her roommate holding a large white envelope. _Mia Fey_ was written front and center; the California State Judicial department's address in the left hand corner.

"Is this it Mia? This is your bar results, isn't it?!" Lana, the young new detective waved the envelope in the young student's face.

Mia dropped her purse as she locked the large wooden door. "That's what I'm hoping for!" She reached for the envelope and walked over to her desk in the corner of their living room. "Mr. Grossberg won't even give me an interview until I have my results...too many promising hires have failed in the last few years." She reached for a small silver letter opener and began to open the the letter. She hesitated. "What if I failed?" Her chocolate eyes turned to meet her roommate's; the sudden realization that she might not have passed finally hitting her.

"Mia, you had no social life for _months_ before this exam. If anyone passed the bar, it would be you." Lana hugged the spirit medium as she continued. "Now open the damn thing! The suspense has been killing me since I got home from the precinct!"

Mia laughed as she continued to work the envelope with the small knife. "I sure hope it was worth it," she mumbled as she pulled the folded letter out. Taking a deep breath, she opened it and slowly read every word to herself. After a few moments, she set the letter down on the desk. "I passed." She paused, letting the meaning sink in. "I passed!" She exclaimed, this time jumping from her chair into Lana's arms. "I have to call Mr. Grossberg!"

"To hell with Mr. Grossberg! We need to celebrate!" The other woman retorted, her braided hair bouncing as the two began to jump with excitement. "You passed Mia! You're finally a defense attorney!"

Fey's smile brightened as her friend uttered the words. "I should call though, it's Friday! If I'm lucky, I can catch him before the weekend and have an interview first thing Monday morning!" Mia released the fellow woman and reached for the phone. She rummaged through papers on her cluttered desk to find the small off-white business card of Marvin Grossberg.

As she dialed the numbers, Lana questioned her. "Why are you so hell bent on Grossberg's office anyway? There's only one good lawyer there now, and we both know who that is."

Mia hushed her roommate. "That doesn't mean the older attorneys can't offer something too," she whispered, covering the the receiver. "Oh, hello? Is this Marvin Grossberg's office?" She questioned as someone picked up on the other end.

"Yes, this is Grossberg and Co. Law Offices. But Mr. Grossberg isn't available right now. Can I help you? It's 4:55 on a Friday evening, I'd really like to be leaving," the deep voice said. There was a faint accent that Mia couldn't place as the man continued. "If this is a telemarketer, we don't want what you're selling."

"Ah, no. Actually, I had been speaking with Mr. Grossberg about setting up an interview once I received my bar results," Mia shrugged as Lana silently asked what was going on. "I was hoping to come in Monday morning."

The man on the other end laughed. "Ah, so the kitten wants to come to the lion's den."

"Excuse me?!"

He continued, ignoring the young woman's protest of the term. "The office opens at 8am. Be here for 9:30. Marvin doesn't usually arrive until 9. It'll give him some time to settle in." The man paused and seemed to take a sip of something. "I'll see you Monday." The line went dead.

Stupefied, Mia slowly hung up the phone. "What the hell was that about, Mia?" Lana asked. "Did you get the interview or not?"

"I did," Mia stuttered. "But it wasn't set up by him. I don't know if it's a joke or..."

"Well, then let's go celebrate! To hell with worrying at this point! It's Friday, Ema is with my aunt this weekend and you passed the fucking _bar exam_. And you may be working with Diego Armando." Lana's eyebrows wiggled as she said the successful attorney's name.

"And he's of relevance because? There are plenty of talented lawyers still in that office, they may not be practicing anymore, but that doesn't mean that I can't pick their brains for help too!" Mia didn't understand the woman's fascination with the senior attorney. "He's talented, yes. But that doesn't make him any better than the rest." Lana ignored these comments as she hastily pulled Mia into her room.

The late August nights were quickly turning brisk. The early autumn air made Mia think twice about stepping out of their apartment in the high red heels and short black dress. On a whim, the future attorney agreed to put it on to please her roommate. Lana had begged her to not dress in her business attire – you're not interviewing today after all, she had said – and to enjoy their night out. "I should have grabbed a coat," she muttered.

Lana covered her arms with her hands, rubbing them quickly, "Two single, good looking ladies? We shouldn't stand outside the bars for long." She walked down the steps to her car on the curb. "We won't need them. Do you want to drive?" she asked, fishing for her keys as she spoke. She found them and unlocked the doors with the click of a button.

Mia frowned, "I haven't been to a bar in almost 10 months. I've been studying and then too anxious to think about anything other than that damn test. I don't even know what's still around." She opened the passenger's side door and clumsily climbed in. "I'm not used to these damn heels."

The detective circled the front of the car and opened her own door. "You look great. I bet we won't even have to pay for anything tonight!" Lana grinned at Mia as she sat down beside her. "It's time to relax, you can frantically worry about your professionalism all weekend. Tonight, we celebrate!" She placed her keys into the ignition and sped off onto the street.

Mia flipped down the sun visor to look at herself in the small mirror. "What about Kyoto?" she asked as she adjusted the small silver charm on her neck. Her mother had left it behind when she suddenly disappeared from her life. "That was always a nice place."

"That could work," Lana said as she looked in her rear-view mirror. "It gets pretty packed on Fridays, but we'd be getting there right before it gets too busy." She glanced over her shoulder as she flicked on her blinkers to pull onto the highway.

The spirit medium continued to look in the mirror as she fussed with the deep plunging neckline of her dress. "Are you sure this isn't too much?" She pulled her hair over her shoulders, trying to hide some of the visible cleavage the dress created.

"You're blessed with great tits, Mia. Embrace them." Lana glanced over to her friend and smiled. Suddenly, the two burst into a fit of giggles.

"You seem far too interested in my breasts, Lana," Mia teased between giggles. "I think the exit is coming up," she said as they sped past another exit. "17B."

"I see it," she said as she changed lanes. "It's right off the exit if I recall correctly," Lana stated.

"It's not far," Mia agreed as they pulled down the off ramp. "We take a right at the light, then it should be about 2 blocks down." Lana followed the younger girl's directions; turning down a side street to park. "I guess I remembered more than I thought." Mia double checked her red beaded clutch for her phone, id, and money as Lana checked her reflection in the rear view mirror.

"Ready?" She asked, turning to Mia. She nodded and the two climbed out of the car and walked towards the small bar.

A tall dark man stood at the door to the bar, his arms crossed. A red velvet rope was in place behind him, blocking entry to the establishment. "Ladies, I'll need to see some identification before I can let you in."

"Certainly," Lana smiled as she pulled out her driver's license from her gold clutch. Mia followed suit, and soon both were admitted entry.

"Should we grab a table?" Mia asked, "Or should we just stand at the bar?" Her eyes scanned the room, which was already packed full with people.

"Let's go to the bar, I don't think there's any open tables..." Lana responded, her voice trailing off as she walked towards two empty stools at the bar. The brunette followed hesitantly in her heels, taking the empty seat beside her friend. "Where did you get that charm, Mia?" She asked as they waited for the bartender. "It's gorgeous. It looks just like the larger one you usually wear."

Mia smiled, "It was my mother's. My father gave it to her before he died. She always wore it, but after she disappeared, I found it in her jewelry box." She fiddled with the silver chain as she continued. "I thought it would go better with my dress than my other one."

Two black leather books were suddenly placed in front of them. "Ladies, here's some menus; I'll give you some time to figure things out. Cocktails and wine are in the front and our sushi selection is the last two pages."

"Thank you!" Lana beamed as she opened the book in front of her. "I'm starving," she whispered to Mia as she flipped to the back. "Do you want to share a few rolls?"

"Dragon roll, California roll, and a shrimp killer?" She stated, gazing down at the list.

"I'm getting hungry just hearing the names," Lana joked. Their bartender returned and Lana ordered the food. "I'll also get a lychee martini."

"Oo, same for me," Mia stated.

The man smiled, "I'll get those for you two right away." He walked towards the register to enter their order and Mia smiled.

"So, how is the police station work going?"

"Well," Lana said. "Well, I mean, as well as it can be. They've finally moved me off grunt work and started me on actual detective work. I'm working with another detective to start, Jake Marshall. He has a year or two on the force, so it will be good working with someone who has experience."

"That's good then! Is he a homicide detective? I know that's really where you wanted to work."

"He is! I was actually shocked that they started me on homicide. I was expecting to start out with the small things, burglary, domestic disturbances, maybe even some concerts, but I guess they really needed another body."

Suddenly, a small tumbler was placed in front of her. Lana's eyes widened as she saw the drink.

"This is for you, courtesy of the man at the end of the bar," a young female bartender stated as she pointed towards the young cop sitting at the end cap. Her voice was bitter as she continued. "He figured you'd want his drink more than your own."

Lana turned to see Jake Marshall and who Mia assumed to be his brother. Jake tipped his hat and Lana giggled.

Confused, Mia whispered to Lana. "That's Jake Marshall?"

Lana waved as she took a sip from the glass. "Mmhmm," she hummed. "Isn't he handsome?"

"Not quite..." the lawyer bit her tongue, "My type. But he looks nice enough."

Lana stood from her seat. "I'll be back, I'm going to go say hi." Mia tried to stop the woman, but she was gone before she could say another word.

The blonde barmaid returned, lychee martini finally in hand. "The gentleman at the end of the bar says it's on him," she mumbled as she inclined her head. Mia leaned forward to see a handsome man leaning on the bar, a cigarette hanging from his fingers. He noticed the Japanese woman looking his way, and he smiled; raising a small tumbler of what looked to Mia like scotch. He took a sip before tapping the ashes off his cigarette.

The medium felt the heat flush her cheeks as she smiled back. Reaching for her glass, she noticed the man call over the bartender. She closed her eyes and sipped from the glass; the refreshing cocktail quenching her thirst. She heard the chair next to her slide out. "Lana, you'll never believe..." She began, turning to her left. She expected to see the young cop, but instead found herself face to face with the man from the other end of the bar.

"Lana will never believe what?" The man said as he leaned closer to the bar. His hair was dark and messy; silver earrings and a ring shone in the lights from the bar. He was handsome, and Mia felt the blush creeping up her cheeks again.

Flustered, she spoke, "I thought you were my friend coming back. That is her seat."

The man laughed deeply. "Your friend Lana seems more preoccupied with the cowboy then me taking her seat," he nodded towards Lana and Jake. "I'm sure she won't mind if her gorgeous friend got some male attention too." He looked Mia up and down before he lifted his near empty glass to his lips and finished off the last of the liquor.

Mia turned her face away from the man and attempted to change the subject. "Well, thank you for the drink." She lifted the glass and took a sip. The attorney felt awkward; it had been a long time since she had been at a bar, let alone hit on. She placed the glass back on the marble stone and began to mindlessly run her finger around its rim.

"Not just the drink, Kitten. I picked up the entire tab." His dark eyes seemed to be aglow as his lips curled into a smug smile. He signaled to the bartender with a raised glass; the ice clinking as he shook it.

_Kitten...again?_ Mia ignored the pet name as she turned back to him, "Oh, I can't have you do that. It's not just mine."

"Like I said, she and the cowboy have gotten quite cozy." Mia looked across the bar again to see Lana sitting close to Jake, laughing and sharing a plate. "It was rude of her to abandon you, don't you think? So I decided I'd help the stray." His grin widened and the more Mia looked at him, the more she realized that she recognized him from somewhere.

"Do I know you?" She blurted out before she could stop herself as another tumbler of scotch appeared.

The man laughed. "I'm sure I'd remember if I had seen a pretty face like yours before." Mia didn't respond and the man sighed. "To be honest, I kind of like the fact that you don't know who I am. I may just keep it that way for a bit." He chuckled as he pulled a pack of Mild Seven from his vest pocket. "Do you mind?" He asked, showing her the brilliant blue box.

She shook her head, and he pulled a slim cigarette from the pack and placed it in between his lips. As he returned the box, he retrieved a solid silver lighter. Covering the tip of the cigarette with one hand, he quickly flipped the top of his lighter and lit the cigarette. He took a breath in, and turned his head away from her as he exhaled. "So, why don't you tell me a little about yourself?"

Mia felt her face flush. "About myself?" He nodded and she took another sip of her drink. "Well, my name is Mia. I recently graduated from law school." She watched as he tipped the ashes off the end of his cigarette, his attention never wavering from her.

"What school?" He asked, taking another drag from the cigarette.

"Ivy U." She felt oddly comfortable talking to this man as she continued. "I spent 4 years doing nothing but studying. I never went out, I never partied." She laughed. "But it was worth it."

His dark eyes widened. "Oh? Why's that?"

Proudly, Mia stated, "I graduated with the highest grades in my class." She smiled at him and finished off her drink as the bartender returned with the first roll of sushi. She took two pairs of chopsticks from the woman and handed a set to the man beside her.

Graciously, he accepted the utensils as he put out the smoke in the ashtray. "So, what's your career path going to be?" He watched as the Japanese woman broke the chopsticks down the center and rubbed them against each other. He followed suit and motioned for Mia to take a piece first.

She obliged and reached for the vegetable roll in front of her. Her hand cupped beneath the piece, she replied. "I majored in defensive law."

The dark man took a bit of the wasabi from the plate and mixed it with soy sauce before he spoke again. "Defensive law? Have you taken the bar yet?" He dipped a piece of sushi in the sauce as she responded.

"I just got my results today!" She beamed, her eyes brilliantly shining. "That's actually why Lana and I were here," she mumbled, staring over at the two detectives. She reached for another piece of the colorful dish in front of her. "To celebrate my passing." A pair of chopsticks tapped on her plate and she turned to face her dinner partner.

"Passing the bar is a big accomplishment, Mia. Not many people pass." He smiled at her. Flustered, she looked towards Lana again and noticed that the detective was looking her way. Lana's eyes were wide, and a huge smile across her face. Lana turned to Jake and pointed towards the man seated beside Mia. Confused, the medium turned her gaze from them back to her unexpected date.

"Thanks," she whispered, "I spent so much time making sure I passed, it's refreshing to know that it wasn't in vain." She reached for the last piece of sushi and finished it quickly. "Especially because I left everything behind to come here. But enough about my silly life, what about you?"

The man smirked. "Maybe another time. It looks like your friend Lana is finally returning to celebrate with you." He stood from the stool, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a silver business card holder. Engraved on the front were the initials _DA_ in large curly script. He retrieved a cream colored card and handed it over to the woman. "Give me a call sometime." He winked as he laid a fifty dollar bill on the counter. Mia opened her mouth to protest. "Remember, I said it was on me. See you around, Kitten."

Mia sat dumbfounded as she read the card in her hands, the events of the evening starting to click in her head.

"Mia!" Lana exclaimed; seating herself in the recently vacant chair. "Do you realize who that was?"

She dropped the business card on the counter, turning to Lana with her eyes wide. "Diego Armando was just hitting on me."


End file.
